Updated 3:57 pm, Thursday, June 30, 2011

An illegal immigrant living in Bridgeport, who was a LaGaurdia Airport employee with security clearance until his May arrest, was arraigned Thursday on a 1998 warrant for first-degree forgery. The man had stolen his Norwalk cousin's identity, including proper identification, police said.

According to Francois' two-page arrest warrant said in Feb. 1998 he was picked up with two others for trying to pass the fake bill at a Norwalk gas station.

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At the time Francois produced a license saying he was James Cayo, living in Norwalk.

His story unraveled when he was arrested in Bridgeport in late May, facing sexual assault charges for allegedly molesting a mentally handicapped girl in Bridgeport in 2009. Those charges have since been resolved.

Senior Assistant State's Attorney Cornelius Kelly was looking into Francois for that charge in May, when he realized he was not the man he claimed to be.

Kelly received a call from James Cayo, a Norwalk man, who said he had received multiple calls from people telling him they saw his name in the arrest blotter. Cayo then called police to figure out what was going.

Cayo said that it was not him who had been arrested and said that his cousin, Francois, had stayed at his house for a short time and stole his social security card and birth certificate, according to court documents.

Cayo had previously complained to police that Francois was impersonating him, the affidavit said.

In addition the forgery charge in Norwalk, he has been charged by Bridgeport police with criminal impersonation, third-degree forgery, interfering with an officer and tampering with evidence.

Francois is being held in the custody of the Department of Immigration and Naturalized Services while awaiting trial. The Haiti native is being held in lieu of $250,000 bond for the Bridgeport charges and an additional $1,000 bond for forgery.